


i think i'm gonna win this time

by bixbux



Series: Trophy [1]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Eric is good with children, First Meetings, M/M, Pining, Winksy has freckles, my first attempt at a fic aaah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 02:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20685731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bixbux/pseuds/bixbux
Summary: Harry works at a coffee shop called "The White Lily", spending his days making coffee and heating up bagels. One day, a new costumer catches his eye...





	i think i'm gonna win this time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bellelaide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellelaide/gifts).

> You've introduced me to this ship, your fics have honestly changed me as a person (the Dinner Party...poor Harry) and you brighten my day whenever I hear from you. 
> 
> Love you, baby.

It was 10:28am on a rainy Thursday when Harry’s day took a sudden turn. He knew the exact time because during his morning shifts he had developed the habit of checking his watch about every two minutes. He liked working at “The White Lily” just fine to earn some money for his next Ibiza holiday with the lads, but he preferred to spend the early morning hours at the gym or on a run through the park. Making sugar-free caramel lattes for groups of loud middle-aged women and burning his fingers when getting cranberry scones out of the oven left him annoyed by 10 am and bored by noon.

On that day however, he was disturbed in his daydreams about his fantasy football team by the sudden ringing of the bells by the door, the loud crying of a baby and a rush of cold air entering the warm café. 

A tall man in a massive grey hoodie with a screaming baby on his arm carefully maneuvered a stroller through the still open door, followed by a blonde women shaking out her wet umbrella. A businessman wearing a grey suit sitting at a table near the entry looked up from his laptop with an annoyed facial expression at the disruption.  
The guy looked up and spotted Harry, standing next to the espresso machine and staring at the scene like a dumbass. A tired grin appeared on his face and he approached the counter, starting to speak over the loud crying.

“Hey, do you have a diaper changing station in here?” 

“Uh-” Harry had expected him to be a young dad, maybe around 30, but this guy couldn’t have been much older than Harry himself. His wet blond hair was shaved short, he had a beard that was just a bit longer than his hair and the skin next to his dark blue eyes crinkled with his grin. “Uh yeah, uh - it’s in the ladies room.”

The guy cradled the baby closer to his chest and something in Harry’s stomach dropped. He wiped his sweaty hands on his apron and grabbed some empty cups on the counter, only to put them down again because there was no space anywhere else. Fuck, he really needed to clean up more thoroughly. After carrying dirty dishes into the kitchen and stacking trays, he came back to discover that the man had settled down at a table near the window with his stroller and bags, while the woman evidently had taken the baby to change its diaper. 

Harry stared at the guy’s wide shoulders for a few seconds, before turning to the espresso machine with a thumping heart. What was wrong with him? He felt weirdly nervous about approaching this guy to get his drinks order.

Harry Winks was many things (short, a lightweight, insecure about his feet), but he was no idiot. At age 8 all he wanted to do every day was play football with his best friend Ali and then play video games together in his room, sitting close together on his bed . At age 13, whenever he was sitting next to his science partner James, his heart would beat fast, and he’d feel himself blush when they exchanged looks. Ten years and a few existential crises later, he wasn’t comfortably out but his mum and best mates knew and he could identify attraction when he felt it.

He made his way to the table near the window, feeling weirdly self-conscious in his ripped black jeans, grey adidas jumper and white apron. The blond guy’s head turned around, putting his newspaper down on the table, giving Harry what seemed like a quick one-over. 

Harry felt his mouth go dry and he raked his fingers through his hair, immediately feeling like a mug. Did he have hair gel on his fingers now? 

“Hey, what can I get for you?”

“A cappuccino, please. And the salmon bagel.” 

Harry shot a look to the red handbag hanging from the stroller. “Anything for your girlfriend?”

There it was again, that wide eye-wrinkling grin. “A chai latte for my sister, thanks.”

“Oh.” Harrys mouth formed into an embarrassed smile. He felt that he couldn’t really meet the guys’s gaze and wrote his order down on his notepad. 

“I’m Eric.” Harry lowered his pen. The guy – Eric – was watching him, an amused smile on his lips. “Sorry for the noise earlier. My nephew isn’t having the best day.”

“Uh – that’s fine. I’m Harry.” 

Eric licked his lips, never breaking his calm gaze. “How’s your day been so far, Harry?” His voice seemed even deeper than before.

Harry felt a tingle at the bottom of his spine and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Good, cheers mate.” Was his voice shaking? Eric was still looking at him. “I’ll uh get started on your drinks.” 

Walking away quickly he nearly crashed into a chair, feeling like his skin was ablaze. He stumbled into the staff’s bathroom, staring into the mirror while letting cold water run over his wrists.

Harry had never thought of himself as a person with a Type. He had been in love twice, and had felt attracted to others countless times, and as far as he could tell, it had never been about a certain hair colour or body type or accent. The only thing he could pinpoint in the big confusing topic of sexual attraction and love was that he wanted to feel safe and comfortable, and that he’d only really ever been in love with men. 

Breathing in and out deeply a few times, he got himself together, fiddled with his hair until it looked worse than before and returned to his workplace, resolutely not looking over to Eric’s table, all the while being painfully aware of where he sat. 

His co-worker Sandra ended up serving Eric and his sister who had returned from the ladies room with a now quiet baby. Harry didn’t know whether to feel relieved or annoyed at that.

Eric seemed to enjoy his bagel, based on the speed he consumed it. Not that Harry was looking. 

As the clock approached noon and the small café began to fill up, Harry tried to focus on drink orders, correct change and dairy allergies. However he couldn’t help but shoot the odd look over to that table at the window and nearly spilled hot coffee on himself when he saw Eric taking off his hoodie, revealing a white t-shirt, which, while oversized, didn’t hide his wide shoulders and back. 

A quiet whimper escaped Harry’s mouth. God, it had been too long. There had been this bloke, Rashid, who he’d met at a club back in December and actually ended up seeing for several months but Rashid hat gotten a job in Leeds and contact had slowly gotten less and less. Over the summer, Harry had enjoyed single life, getting with a few guys at parties and on holidays, but it had all been drunk sloppy kissing and quick orgasms on each other’s hands. Now it was September, the weather was getting colder and all he wanted was someone to blow in the shower, cuddle and watch fucking Gogglebox with. 

“Oi, Winksy!” Harry turned around to see Sandra give him an annoyed look from the counter. “You gonna help me or just stand there the whole day?”

“Fuck’s sake.” Harry picked up his tray with used coffee cups and plates, making his way over to her.

She fiddled with the decaf coffee bag, not looking at him. “Can you give the couple at table 6 their check? I’m up to my ass in drink orders.”

Harry felt his throat go dry. Table 6. “Sure.” Grabbing his notepad and pen, he steeled his shoulders and walked to a well-known table by the window. As he approached Eric and his sister, his heart seemed to stop for a second as a he realized that Eric’s nephew was sleeping in his arms. 

He cleared his throat twice, telling himself to get a grip. 

“Hey, you guys wanted to pay?” He kept his look on Eric’s sister, who got out her purse, all the while feeling Eric sitting directly next to him. God, it was like he radiated warmth and calm. 

“That’ll be £12.80.” He could feel Eric’s eyes on him, making his skin crawl.

“Keep the change.” His sister seemed tired, not really looking at him and immediately starting to assemble her bags. Harry started turning away, desperately wanting to get away so he could think clearly again.

“Have a good day, Harry.” 

He did look at Eric then. He had gotten up and put his nephew into the stroller, so it was just him standing in front of Harry, tall and strong and with a smile on his lips. 

They were so close that Harry could smell Eric’s deodorant and coffee and rain. Why couldn’t he feel his hands anymore.

“It was nice to meet you.” Harry blurted out like a fucking idiot, feeling a bit faint from Eric’s strong biceps being clearly visible. 

Suddenly there was a phone in Eric’s hands and the grin he gave Harry could almost have been described as bashful. 

“You want to meet up sometime?”

Feeling lightheaded and seriously worrying about his heart rate, Harry tried to remember his own number and type it into Eric’s phone with his sweaty fingers. 

He gave Eric a grin that surely must have looked ridiculous, stuttered a quick “Uh bye” and walked back to the counter very quickly, despite feeling like his legs were made out of jelly. 

Sandra had spilled milk on the floor, so Harry mopped it up, happy to hide his red face and shaking hands behind the counter. When he was done, a group of schoolgirls entered the café and he was lost in a world of frappes and cream.

He didn’t get the chance to check his phone until an hour later, in the storage room. He had two texts from an unknown number.

Breathing quickly, Harry unlocked his phone.

_This is Eric. Hope the rest of your shift goes well._

_Your freckles are cute._

**Author's Note:**

> There will be a sequel at some point! 
> 
> I'm wechselrahmen on tumblr, feel free to hit me up x


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